Speaking of bicycles...

I guess the high gas prices have prompted some US city officials to seriously consider making their cities more bicycle friendly. Portland Oregan is trying to replicate a bicycle rental progam similar to Paris (sorry Nederland). There was also a competition in NYC to see the fastest mode of travel to work, I guess to show people that it is a better way to commute to work. The bicycle was pitted against the subway and driving. Guess what? The bicycle prevailed.

Employers are even getting in on the action by incentivizing cycling to work (money, showering facilities). Wow, I guess $127 a barrel can light a fire under some feet...

Until We See You Again

It has been great :-)

Final Farewell Party

It was wonderful to have in attendance, our host families and other rotatrians that made our stay in the Netherlands so special. The team had a great time catching up and sharing our experieces with everyone. It was nice to hear that we made a good impression while here, and that we are always welcomed back into your homes. I truly believe that we have made friends.

...and you all made me cry!

Farmer's golf

This was definately an interesting game, played amidst cows, sheep and ponies, and the things they leave behind :-) This as a great farewell party starter, we all had a wonderful time, maybe we can find a farm here in the US and recreate the experience. Congratulations team yellow (led by Deborah).

Hans...This One is for You :-)

"Memories

Like the corners of my mind...."

:-)

It's Lonely at the Top

District 1600 governor Hans Meerburg is quite accomplished on the piano and accordian. After a great rendition of, 'It's lonely at the top", Kim and I were pulled into singing in French, much to the delight or maybe dismay of Deborah. It was a fun filled afternoon.

It's Typical Dutch IV

Trying out the wooden clogs.

Sex and Stuff

Similar to my previous blog about crime and punishment comes the topic of sex and stuff. Here in the Netherlands, there are very few teenage pregnancies (teenage being age 15-19). The rate is 8.7 per 1,000 inhabitants. You've probably already guessed where I'm going with this. The rate in the US? 79.8 per 1,000 inhabitants!!! That number really shocked me and I had to triple check it. It is correct though. The US has the highest teenage pregnancy rate of the developed world. As a result of this, we also have one of the highest rates of abortion. The US's rate is actually eight times higher than the NL with a rate of 27.5 to 4.2 (per 1,000). The STD rate in the US is also five times higher than in the NL. An interesting fact, surveys have shown that teens in the US and in the NL start having sex at about the same age.

I first started thinking about this when I was at someone's house here. When I asked where one of the kids was, I was told he had stayed at his girlfriend's house. "Really?" I responded "and you know about that? Do her parents know about it?" Of course, was the answer. The next week we visited a high school and I asked one of the teachers about teenage pregnancy. She said in all of her years as a teacher, she could remember only one girl who was pregnant. I asked if there was sex education in their classrooms and there is. It is similar to ours (I think) in that it is taught in health class. However, all options are covered and discussed openly. Students are told where and how to get contraceptives (btw, the NL has one of the highest contraception use among youth in the world). Abstinence is rarely discussed. It's been awhile since I had a health class so this could've changed since my class. Also, I was in the south which I think varies from other parts of the country and from larger cities. Anyway, the same week I was talking with another girl who also mentioned staying at her boyfriend's. Again I said, "Really? and your parents know?" She went on to tell me quite a bit about this topic and it was all completely foreign to me. Last year when I brought my then boyfriend home with me (I was 27), we had to sleep in different rooms. In fact, I think that I could be 60 and would still have to sleep in separate rooms if I brought a boyfriend to my parents' house (love you mom and dad). It seems that the families here are much more open about a lot of topics that many Americans are afraid to approach. Why? Well, I'm going to have to bring up religion again. Like I said previously, people in the NL aren't as religious. I don't think they see premarital sex as a sin or as a bad thing but as a natural occurrence. They are more open about it, teenagers understand it and how to protect and prepare themselves for it. Religious groups here have very little influence on public policy. Nudity in magazines or on television is not an uncommon thing here. This was also interesting. If the US had the teenage pregnancy rates that the Netherlands have, with our current population, we would have about 657,000 fewer teenage pregnancies and 215 fewer abortions and save $921 million in public costs a year!

And the Most Frequently Asked Questions Are...

Since we've almost been here a month now, we've been asked a lot of questions. Here are the top three questions we get asked the most:

1) Is it true that Americans only get about two weeks for vacation? (Generally the Dutch get about 5-6 weeks...which is awesome!)
2) Who is going to win the election?
3) Do all Americans eat a lot of fast food?

The Anne Frank House

Today was my first trip to Amsterdam and my experience there was wonderful. We visited the Anne Frank house, the Van Gogh museum, enjoyed some fabulous food and walked around the city. I was very moved by the Anne Frank house. I remember reading the Diary of Anne Frank when I was in middle school...probably around age 13 or 14. At that age, I somewhat understood what the Holocaust was, but not enough to fully appreciate the book and not enough to comprehend what happened to Anne and her family. My favorite class in college was a class on the Holocaust, through literature and film. Hearing and reading stories first hand from survivors was very powerful for me and it increased my interest in the Holocaust. I have visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC many times and I've read everything there is to read there. However, there is definitely something about being in a location where an event took place. For years, you have an imaginary image of what a place looks like and then that location comes alive. I didn't realize that when you visit the Anne Frank house, you can walk through the entire house. You can see how small the living quarters were and you can hear her words being read to you as you walk through her room. It is a strange feeling. For me, not just the house came to life, but the entire story. I don't just see things when I'm in a place like this, but I sense feelings too (but I'm kinda weird like that). Anyway, the story is amazing. I get cabin fever when I'm stuck in the house for two days. I cannot imagine living in that little section of the house for two years! What patience, endurance, hope, and faith the family must have had. It really is uncomprehendable. Anne Frank died just two months before liberation after having survived those two years in hiding. It is truly a sad story. On the way out of the museum, I bought a copy of the diary. I'm sure that when I read it this time, I will be reading it with a completely different perspective. If you have not already read the diary (shame on you), then I suggest you do so!

It's Typical Dutch III

These ladies are dressed in the old-fashioned, typical Dutch outfits!

Melting Pot

I have lived in the United States for the past 14 years. Initial adjustment was hard, as some of the customs and views were quite different from what I was accustomed. However, as time passed, I began to appreciate and embrace the differences and similarities between both countries and have come to view the United States as the great experiment. Most cultures throughout the world are represented here, of course some more than others. The challenge is how we live together in the spirit of harmony and cooperation. Many countries still have quite homogeneous populations, and are now having to deal with issues of large scale immigration, so they are now starting to deal with some of the challenges that have always faced the United States. As a very young nation, we are still working out some of our problems, we got off on the wrong foot with certain groups (African slaves, Native Americans), but hopefully as we move forward we will begin to further recognize the contributions of these groups to the building of the United States and help those that have been left behind as our country as has sped ahead.

My hopes: Increased understanding and tolerance; community and cooperation; and of course peace and love. One Love

Less Crime & Less Punishment

In 2006, there were 17, 034 homicides in the United States. In the Netherlands, there were 140. Okay, okay. I know there are 300 million people in the US vs. 16 million in the Netherlands. I'll break it down a little more. In the city of Baltimore, MD (population of 640,000), there were 270 murders and in Rotterdam (pop. 589,000) 19 murders. Even Amsterdam, a city of over a million people, had 26 murders. Now, I just grabbed these numbers off of the internet but I have a feeling they're fairly accurate. Why is the crime in the US so much worse than in the NL? Let's look at the penalty for murder. In the US, we have the death penalty and we have life sentences. People who committ murder typically are put in prison for the remainder of their life. In the Netherlands, there is no death penalty and the most someone usually spends in prison for murder is 15 years...and that's the most! Wouldn't you think that a harsher punishment would stop people from committing crimes? Studies have actually shown that the punishment for a crime is not a deterrent at all. What is then? Gun control? From what I understand, the process for getting a gun here is pretty similar to the US. Also, guns are pretty easy to get if you "know the right people," especially with the port which brings in lots of shipments from all over the world.

Here are a few observations. 1) The society is very egalitarian. There are no extremely poor people in the Netherlands. There are very, very few homeless people here. In fact, I haven't seen one yet. In DC, I can't walk to work without seeing about five homeless people (and it's a ten minute walk). Everyone in NL has healthcare, children are 100% covered. So, there aren't those who are in great need for basic survival needs. Of course, with this comes very high taxes...that's a whole other topic. 2) Women with children don't work as much as in the US. Now I'm all for womens' rights and equality, etc. but I definitely think there is a great impact of having both parents working (or having a single mother). In NL, the majority of women with children work part-time and companies are set up to support this. There are very few daycares. Women are starting to work more and more though. In the US, crime skyrocketed following WWII when women started working. Obviously when kids are left alone without supervision, they will entertain themselves. So, the family structure seems to be more in tact here. 3) Liberal laws. The NL is very liberal with many things, their laws being one of them. They are famous for their prostitution and drug laws. Is there something to this? While I don't agree with prostitution, the system seems to work well here. It is controlled in one location and protected. There is very little crime in the Red Light District (remember, 26 murders in all of Amsterdam in a year). "The oldest profession" is going to continue. Maybe it's time to face it and deal with it. Same with some soft drugs perhaps. 4) Religion. The majority of the people in the NL do not attend church. I think religion can definitely be a great thing, but I think it can also perpetuate certain problems as well...yet another topic I could ramble on about. While many of the people in the NL may be spiritual, they are not religious and I think there is a significant difference. While many people think that having more religion will help lower crime rates, I think it may be the opposite in many cases. 5) Discrimination. Like I mentioned before, the NL is very liberal by US standards. They seem pretty accepting of all people. Gay marriage is legal here. There doesn't seem to be racial segregation as there often is in the US.

Well, I could go on and on but these are my observations in what I think could play a role in the low crime rate in the NL. Obviously, I can't solve our crime problems in a blog but it's interesting to ponder and get conversations started. I think this may actually influence my upcoming study that I'm starting this summer.

It's Typical Dutch II

Debbie on the way to the post office, "dutch style".

The End of Week Three?

Only a week left to go? Time is flying by. Our time in Hellevoetsluis was great! Thank you to everyone for all of your hard work in planning our time there. Our farewell party Friday night again brought fun and tears. The kids at the party took it upon themselves to start teaching me Dutch. Well, at first they were just trying to get me to say long words and then were laughing at me. So I had them go back to the beginning with the alphabet. I was surprised to learn that their alphabet song is to the same tune as ours (twinkle, twinkle little star). I wonder if it's the same in every country. Anyway, they were great teachers and I'm surprised at the number of words I've learned over the past few weeks. Last week someone accidentally said something to me in Dutch and I responded without realizing the language was different. Then we both realized what had happened and started laughing. The Dutch language is a very difficult one with two sounds that Americans don't use at all. I'm able to do one but no matter how hard I try I can't seem to pronounce the other. It is the sound the ui makes in Hellevoetsluis.

Yesterday we left Hellevoetsluis and landed in Rijnwoude, a small town near Leiden. Thankfully, the coordinators of the club we are visiting expected us to be exhausted and planned an easy schedule for yesterday and today. I slept ten hours last night! It was definitely needed. Today we went antique shopping in the Hague and I found a cute little coffee/tea set. We then had dinner at Hans and Jane's house. Hans was an excellent cook and we had a great time. Our schedule for the week looks great. Tomorrow I'm starting the day with a biking tour of the area and then I'm off to the High School in Leiden. The weather is back to cold again :(

Deja-Vu Hellevoetsluis

It's typical dutch. These poffertjes are like miniture fritters. They are the same as the ones I used to eat growing up in Jamaica, sans the powdered sugar. They gave me the same belly-ache too, because you cannot just have one. Delightfully painful though :-)

Containers and More Containers

This morning we took a boat tour of Rotterdam. Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe and was the largest port in the world until 2004 when Shanghai outgrew it. The amount of goods that comes through here is unbelievable...more than 300 million metric tons. The ships ( about 30,000 a year) and barges (about 110,000 a year) are massive.

April Fools

Breille was the first Dutch city to be liberated from the Spanish after the 80 year war. This happened on April 1, 1572, and will be forever known as the day the dutch made a fool of the Spanish general. Hence April 1st is known as April Fool's Day.

Crude

Our team visited the Maasvlakte Olie Terminal with Monika and Hans. This is one of the world's largest crude oil storage and redistribution facilities. The share holders in the facility include some of the major oil companies, like Exxon Mobile and Shell, and they have their own pipelines leading away fron the tanks for easy retrieval. A storage tank (seen in picture) can store 120,000 cubic meters of oil, which is enough to fuel 90,000 cars for 1 year (I wonder if that meant smart cars or SUVs :) There are 36 tanks located here, you do the math, that is a lot of crude. Clement Saaltink, the Safety and Environment Supervisor, gave us a wonderful tour, we actually were inside one of the tanks, and then admired the views from the top of another. Some of us (I will not name names :-) faced our fear of heights, so kudos to you both.

Also, many thanks to drs. Harry van der Meijden (Wassenaar RC), Headquarter Director of Royal Dutch Shell, for the insightful history and tour of the Shell headquarters in the Hague. We had a great time and we felt your enthusiasm and dedication to your work and your company.

Tomatoes in Glasshouses

Today we visited a tomato Greenhouse, which they refer to as Glasshouse. There are glasshouses all throughout the Netherlands but there is a high concentration of them in this area. It is quite a complicated and interesting operation. I had no idea what all goes into getting produce into our grocery stores (kinda the feeling I had a flora holland about the process of flowers). The seeds are not put into soil, but into a kind of installation. The installation has water and nutrients put into it. The tomato vines are hooked to wires and grow up to about 10 meters high. Someone has to continuously watch over the plants. They wrap the new vine around the wire, they cut leaves from the vine, they make sure they are not damaged, someone checks the ripeness, etc. All of this is done by hand by about 40 people. There are also bees which help with pollination. This is just the growing part of it all. Then it has to all be weighed, measured, wrapped, and delivered. They sure make some great, juicy tomatoes!

I learned that almost all vegetables should not be put in the refrigerator. They should be kept at room temperature. This actually keeps the taste fresher.

It's Typical Dutch I

Today, I received my first lesson on eating herring from Monika. It went down rather well might I add :-)

The GGD (Intermunicipal Health Department)

Thanks to Jorriena de Jongh for arranging this visit to the Gemeenschapplelijke Gezondheidsdienst Zuidhollandse Eilanden (GGD), the intermunicipal health department serving 15 municipalities. Jorriena was my hostess while in Hellevoetsluis and is an alderwoman for this town. Her primary focus is health care, youth and culture, among other very important ssues.

I was keen to learn about current programs in overweight and obesity prevention. One such project was a primary school based anti-overweight/obesity program called Maatje te Veel (A size too much). This program engaged not only the students, but also the parents, teachers and the community. The program focused on nutrition education and making healthier choices. So far the program seems to be well received by the participants. Hopefully it can be expanded to other school in the future. (Picture: Deborah Cook and Jorriena de Jongh sitting in the lobby of the GGD)

Dry Docks

Hellevoetsluis has a beautiful marina that reminds me of Annapolis, Maryland. In this marina, there is a dry dock which was built in 1801 and is still in use. The pictures show this dry dock, as well as a modern dry dock in the Port of Rotterdam. Of course there are differences in how these two docks operate, but nevertheless, the difference in scale is astonishing.

The Delta Project

The Delta Project was developed due to the great flood of 1953 claimed 1,835 lives and 200,000 livestock. Upwards of 47,000 buildings were destroyed and 72,000 people had to evacuate their homes. This was an enormous undertaking by The Netherlands to secure the country against flooding with a series of dams and dyke reinforcement. These large barrier systems are quite impressive in their construction and just their sheer magnitude. The Dutch have lent their knowledge and expertise to the United States to try and solve its water management problems in Louisiana. Let us hope this collaboration will produce a system that is as successful as what we have seen here in The Netherlands.

The Dunes

Many people throughout the world associate dykes and dams with The Netherlands. However, there are natural water barriers that are less known....the dunes. The home of my Wassenaar host family, Jaap and Gre Blaak, was nestled in the sandy dunes and perfectly complemented the surroundings. The first day Gre and I went for a walk to admire the views from a high point. On my last day, after numerous threats of being abandoned, Jaap and I cycled through the dunes to the beach. I had to keep a close eye on Jaap, just in case he decided to pull a fast one and 'inadvertently lose' me in the dunes :-)

On the way, we stopped and paid respect at a monument in the dunes (Waalsdorper Vlakte) honoring Dutch victims of WWII, especially the hundreds of people who were executed. Most of those people were imprisoned, interrogated and tortured in Scheveningen and many were finally shot at that spot in the dunes.

On the Farm...

Yesterday we arrived in Hellevoetsluis, a fortress which used to be a marine harbor. I think we may have scared our new hosts because when we arrived we 1) were crying 2) had about 30 suitcases. Nonetheless, our hosts welcomed us with open arms. We had lunch and tea and then headed off to our new homes for the week. My hosts Monika and Gerat (hope I spelled that right) live on a farm that was built in 1805. The house is almost as old as the United States! The house is beautiful and very large. It is built in the old Dutch farm style with bricks, old tiles, and an attached barn. There is even a section which used to be the carriage house. Monika teaches German and Gerat is a cardiologist. Once again, they both speak several languages and are sure to be great hosts. Animal count: 3 and 3/4 cats (one has half a tale), 2 shetlon ponies, a goat, sheep, chickens, very loud early-rising roosters, an adorable little dog, and 6 humans. There is also a beautiful garden and a pool. The weather has been amazing and I was able to spend a couple of hours by the pool before heading to dinner!

The End of Week Two

Wow, week two flew by! We have been so busy. I have to say that each of us fell in love with Wassenaar and were sad to leave. Our program was great, the people were wonderful, and the experience unforgettable. There were definitely tears when we left. A shout out to John and Hans for all of their hardwork. The town of Wassenaar is definitely one of the wealthier sections of Holland and I felt a little bit like I was on Wisteria Lane. The houses were quite large and immaculate. The people all knew each other and the town felt very safe and cozy. I fell in love. My family was great...again. When Renee hopped out of her car and came running to me saying "I'm your mom for a week!" I knew I would love this family. Renee and I clicked within the first ten minutes and I felt like I'd known her all my life. Her husband Laurens is the current President of the Wassenaar Rotary Club. He is a historical restoration architect in the Hague (where he has a very historical and lovely office in what used to be a hidden church). The two of them together make a great pair. I was lucky in that their 25 year old son is currently living at home. He invited over some friends and it was great to talk with a group of younger people. It was interesting to see what kinds of questions they asked me about the US compared with what Rotarians asked. I managed to get Friday off and go sailing with one of their son's friends. It was such a great way to see the countryside...from the canals! The weather was perfect. We had a farewell BBQ Friday night and Saturday we're off to Hellevoetsluis for week three. I spent the first two weeks here trying to learn how to say the name of this town and I finally got it! There are several new sounds that our language does not have and they're hard to learn!

Parliament

Thursday we had a private tour of the Parliament building and met with a former Parliament member. The Dutch government system is very different from ours in that it is proportional representation. Each party receives their number of seats in Parliament based on the percentage of votes it receives. There are currently 10 different parties in Parliament! All of these parties would fall on our liberal side...even their most conservative ones. I asked how anything can get accomplished with so many parties. The parties form coalitions with other parties in which they promise to vote together on certain issues. The Prime Minister is chosen from the party which received the most votes. The Queen is also considered part of the Government and the Court is not included in they system. The whole thing was very interesting and would take a long time to write out...but that's an overview.

Dinner at the Beach

Dinner at the beach was soooo nice. The weather the past week has been unnatural (by Dutch standards). It hasn't rained in about 10 days and it has been around 20 degrees celcius. Just wonderful! I've even managed to get some sun.

Wassenaar Windmill

Thursday we visited the local working windmill and had a tour by the miller. The Netherlands has only about 30 or 40 working windmills still left. It was interesting to learn how the windmill actually works to produce flour. Also, we learned that windmills actually orginated in Afghanistan.

The Peace Palace and the International Court of Justice

Last Wednesday, I had a private tour of the Peace Palace and the International Court of Justice, which was awesome. The idea for a Peace Palace began back in 1899 with the first international peace conference, which was held in the Hague and was the first of the "Hague conventions." However, it wasn't until 1906 when construction on the Peace Palace began, funded by Andrew Carnegie. It officially opened in 1913. The Palace includes: the International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Hague Academy of International Law, and the Peace Palace Library. I was very lucky to receive a tour from a security guard who works for the International Court of Justice. This was great because I didn't have to crowd in with 100 other tourists and I was able to see things I may not have otherwise seen. The palace is gorgeous! It has many different types of marble, lots of stained glass, and statues or other gifts from all countries. The United States gave a statue of Lady Liberty which is placed at the top of the main staircase. The International Court of Justice is the judicial organ of the United Nations. It settles conflicts between countries and also gives advice to countries when asked. The Great Hall of Justice is quite impressive. It is where the 15 judges sit to hear these cases. For example, a recent case was between Ecudador and Colombia regarding herbicides. I also visited the Peace Palace Library, which is the largest collection of international law books and publications. We then had tea and coffee (because that's just what you do here) and then went to the beautiful gardens. It was all very surreal. Why the Hague? No one could give me a definite answer except that the Netherlands has remained fairly neutral in all European conflicts. There is a peace flame which burns continuously outside of the palace as a symbol for world peace. It was really a great experience!

Deja Vu_Wassenaar

I have to say, sitting on the beach was reminiscent of Jamaica, eating fish, feet in the sand, collecting sea shells... then cold water snapped me back to reality...this is the North Sea, Monique! Not the Caribbean Sea!!!

Wassenaar Village Tour

On our tour of village center, we visited the Wassenaar Dorpskerk (Village church). The current church has been in existence since 1573, which makes it the oldest church in Wassenaar. There were two rather curious holes (photo left) in the walls. These holes allowed people (such as lepers) who were not allowed in the church to hear the sermon.

That is preventing disease transmission at its best!

Bio Science Park at Leiden University

The visit to the Bio Science Park at Leiden University was coordinated by drs. Jaap Blaak, and it provided a look into the ever growing field of biotechnology. We had 4 presentations, 2 of which were from the CEOs of start up biotechnology companies (to-BBB and FlexGen). To-BBB is involved in modifying the delivery system of drugs for better entry into the brain. This technology may prove to be invaluable in the treatment of diseases of the brain with efficacious drugs that would otherwise have poor penetration. FlexGen has created a prototype instrument that can produce custom DNA microarrays within 24 hours. DNA microarrays play an important role in genetic research and medical diagnosis and potentially in population disease surveillance.

The Netherlands, small in land mass, big in innovation.

Rememberance Day (May 4th)

A great start to our week in Wassenaar, thanks to the members of the Rotary club of Wassenaar. Today the people of the Netherlands remember the lives of soldiers lost in past wars. Our GSE team was honored to take part in the annual walk of silence and place a wreath at the memorial statue. Pictured to the left is retired Luitenant General Ted Meines saluting the memorial statute.

Following the event, we had our photographs printed in 2 local newspapers, regarding our participation in the ceremony. We were even recognized by a local resident the morning the newspapers were printed. I think we deserve a parade from Rotary district 7620 when we get back for being the best GSE embassadors :-)

The Keukenhof

You have to see the Keukenhof garden to believe it.